Irish guitar legend Bernie Torme has once again utilized a pledge fund campaign for his latest release Dublin Cowboy, but this time he's decided to give his fans even more content for their contributions, and that's a triple album. With his band Ian Harris (drums, percussion) and Chris Heilman (bass), the trio have delivered an electric side, an acoustic side, and a live side. The former Gillan guitar hero as always is in fine form throughout, so get ready for a lengthy ride of six string histrionics!
The electric portion of course will be the most familiar to longtime fans, all new material that feature the trio's raucous side as they crank out bluesy hard rock songs that let Torme run wild. "Hair of the Dog", "Bak 2 U", "In the Groove", "Skangers Delight" and the crunchy title track all boast screaming pinch harmonics, wild whammy bar excursions, meaty blues-rock riffs, pounding rhythms, and Torme's trademark vocal style. "Little Brother" features some Jimi Hendrix influenced lead guitar, while you can hear an homage to not only Jimi but also the late Rory Gallagher on the slow blues of "Already Gone".
As great as the electric tracks are, it's the acoustic set that really surprises here, as it's side we rarely see from Torme. The near 12-minute "Shine" is hauntingly beautiful, gentle guitar chords shimmering over spooky keyboards and Bernie's aching vocals. He pulls out the slide in another ode to Gallagher for "Morning Raga", and mixes folk with prog on the chilling "Wolfgirl". "All My Demons" sees the guitarist all by himself, the lush chords and harmonica adding a heartfelt folk feel, while "Lady November" sees his majestic guitar patterns accompanied by what sounds like Mellotron flutes. I'm reminded of The Rolling Stones early psychedelic era on the charming "Cirkus", as well as the eerie closer "Death of Dreams", another haunting number that sees Torme's guitar and vocals meshing with more of those flutes and gentle percussion. Some truly gorgeous material on this acoustic set, which shows another side of the guitar hero.
Speaking of the guitar hero, he's out in full force on the raucous live set, which features a selection of old & new solo favorites plus a few Gillan classics. "Wild West" kicks things off in fine fashion, chock full of distorted blues-metal riffing and whammy bar dive bombs, while the booze drenched "Bullet in the Brain" and "Blood Run Cold" again shows how adept this band is with cranking out exciting metallic blues rock. Torme gives another slide workout on the old staple "Turn Out the Lights", and perhaps delivers his best guitar performance in this entire set with the sizzling slow blues of "Stoneship", a truly face melting performance that shows what an underrated player he is. Closing out the live portion, the band kicks into "Trouble" and "New Orleans", two popular songs from his days with the Gillan band, and while Bernie's vocals don't quite match Ian's, he does a fine job on these two upbeat rockers.
Fans sure as hell get plenty of music with Dublin Cowboy, a varied and enjoyable collection of material that shows off every aspect of the talented Bernie Torme. Don't miss out!
Track Listing
1.
Dublin Cowboy 03:18
2.
Hair Of The Dog 03:08
3.
Power Of The Blues 04:54
4.
Bak 2 U 02:33
5.
Time (Has Taken Its Toll) 06:10
6.
Skangers Delight 02:53
7.
Little Brother 03:16
8.
In The Groove 03:27
9.
Way It Rolls 04:26
10.
Janus (Pt 1&2) 05:47
11.
Already Gone 07:22
12.
Shine 11:57
13.
Morning Raga 04:42
14.
Wolfgirl 06:01
15.
Lethe 05:12
16.
All My Demons 04:53
17.
Lady November 04:50
18.
Cirkus 03:37
19.
Death Of Dreams 03:53
20.
Wild West 05:22
21.
Bullet In The Brain 03:14
22.
Blood Run Cold 03:59
23.
Turn Out The Lights 06:15
24.
Pain Song 03:07
25.
Star 05:17
26.
Stoneship 09:18
27.
Rocky Road (From Dublin) 03:46
28.
Trouble 02:43
29.
New Orleans 04:10
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